Keeping It Safe In The Kitchen

When I was younger, we used to always have get togethers around the holidays with friends. We lived far away from family and so our friends became our second family. We lived in Arizona at the time and my parents decided to do hamburgers. My mom went to the store and grabbed a box of hamburger patties. They were a name brand and she figured they were “safe”, when she tells the story she always laughs and says, “My first clue should have been the words ‘color will enhance with cooking’ on the outside of the box.”

Anyway, they began cooking the burgers and for whatever reason, although we are leaning towards fat content, they all caught on fire. Like, giant flames shooting over the cooking surface, flaming burgers! It was terrifying. I am so glad that my parents knew how to properly extinguish the fire. It is easy to look back on it now and laugh, but it was situation that could have led to serious injuries or damage to our home.

I received compensation and samples in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. 

When it comes to the safety of my home and family, it is not a laughing matter and the facts are clear.

• Cooking is the number one cause of home fires and injuries.
• The winter months are the deadliest season for home fires.

• Most fatal home fires happen in homes with no smoke alarm or no working alarm.

• Nearly five times as many Americans know the shelf life of a Twinkie than know the recommended operating life of a smoke alarm.

At our house our recipe for safety has a lot to do with awareness. When we tell our kids they can’t, or should’t do something, we always explain to them why. Any kid will push back against rules unless they understand the reason behind them. At our house “because I said so” Doesn’t count. We don’t play near the stove because it is hot and can burn you. We don’t touch knives because they are sharp and can cut you, etc.

My kids are just young toddlers, but we introduced these rules at a very young age in the hope that they will understand how serious their safety is. Kidde has provided these other guidelines and safety tips to help keep your family safe this holiday season. With all of the cooking and baking that happens at our house around the holidays, now is the perfcet time to review these rules.

As a stay at home mom I realize that most of the time I am the one who will be responsible for handling an emergency situation in my house. Having a Kidde Kitchen Fire Extinguisher and Kidde Worry Free Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarms in my home give me a little extra help and peace of mind when it comes to keeping my toddlers safe.  These rules and guidelines start in the kitchen but reach our entire home. Find out more about their products here.

What does your recipe for safety look like? Have you ever had a holiday cooking disaster?